


Arms Race

by Im_the_basketcase



Series: Remnant's Somewhat Finest [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: "The secret ingredient is crime", Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Ass-Kicking, Blood and Gore, F/F, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Torture, Just puns and a badass being a smartass as she kills people, Organized Crime, Past Child Abuse, Past Relationship(s), Pre-Canon, Puns & Word Play, Remnants Somewhat Finest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-11-24 18:33:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20912186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Im_the_basketcase/pseuds/Im_the_basketcase
Summary: A race to regain what one has lost... for a second time. A race to discover what one can be... yet again. Jette Black, the arm of Team BLJC (Blackjack), is getting quite tired of having to fight for it. This more-than-sometimes fanatical and heavily troubled young huntress is rendered back to square one with a horribly bad hand and she is not exactly card sharp. But she isn't folding any time soon.A Remnant's Somewhat Finest Fic





	Arms Race

**Author's Note:**

> A.N.: Hello. Welcome to Remnant's Somewhat Finest. This is an original team created for a RWBY inspired Tabletop game. Team BLJC (Blackjack). Burgundy Marx (leader) a well rounded, caring individual with a hammer. Lazuli Jones, who is tired of puns but somehow fantastically witty (Moreso that I can successfully write) and a master a both calligraphy and using calligraphy pens as weapons. Jette Black an explosition of everything but her darkest secrets. Literally, exploding everything. And Carmyne Rowley, a snow leopard faunus who is always tired of taking care of us.
> 
> This takes place during their first term at Haven Academy and into winter break which is about 10 years pre-RWBY.
> 
> BTW I did not come up with the Card theme, but I am proud.

Meet the Team:

Jette Black (Cocky but reliable, 87% of the time. The rest of the time she instigates it.): age 18; King of Clubs theme 

Semblance: Kinetic Energy Empowerment. Absorbing any kind of energy in her body, storing it, and releasing it to increase her strength. Though she is just naturally fucking strong as fucking ass. 

Weapon: Pain (Katar dagger) 

Carmyne Rowley (maternal and a force to be reckoned with): age 17; Queen of Spades theme 

Semblance: Telekinesis (manipulates thread and wire. The creator is a big into sewing. Well. All four of us can sew, now that I think about it. But she made it Carmyne's thing because she loves crafting so much) 

Weapons: Dust Whip and Pistol 

Burgundy Marx (leader) (calm, cool, and collected and rational): 17; Ace of Diamonds theme 

Semblance- Tremorsense (Shockwave he can use to either destroy all the things or get a 3D layout in a certain direction) 

Weapon- Block (just a Sledgehammer) and Mortar (Hardlight Gauntlet that shoot out railroad spikes and create geometric shapes and force fields. Pretty badass too.) 

Lazuli Jones (Zero tolerance for anything and the brains of the team): 16; Jack of Hearts theme 

Semblance: Written Apparitions (Summons with writing because her creator was the only English major in a group of bio majors. And peer pressure is a thing.) 

Weapon: Pistol and throwing pens, but mostly throwing pens. 

Here I introduce Remnant's Somewhat Finest: The architect, the writer, the artist, and the origin of the criminal. 

**Arms Race**

Jette sat in team BLJC’s shared bathroom in a stained, black beater with a club on the right hip and sweats. She slowly pulled out a tool kit she brought in with her and began to repair her rusty arm. The brawler didn’t want to show her team her frustration. Jette knew this arm held her back more than advanced her. Though she was a decent fighter, the arm malfunctioned or broke during almost every combat class. She was useless both with the arm and without it. Once she reattached some wires and tightened screws, Jette flexed her strong fingers. They squeaked and creaked in defiance, not wanting to perform. She sighed and pulled out oil and methodically lubricated the cold steel. She hesitated when there was a knock on the door. 

“One minute!” Jette quickly wrapped the rusted arm in bandages because the casing broke a long time ago. 

“Jette, it’s time to train. We booked the room.” 

The girl in black shivered and took a deep breath as she stared in the mirror. Her name sake always confused her. Jette… Jette Black. Black hair, graying around the ears. Slanted, dark green eyes. Her warmer skin tone identified her origins leaned heavily to the icy, more remote northern parts of Mistral. The but the girl’s color name sake spoke little to the girl's personality. She was quirky, loud, and outspoken. Even explosive if rilled up. She knew words hurt, so might as well let it out before things get out of hand. She lost a lot of trust in humanity after her father abused her and left her for dead. Jette knew she was only alive because of her strong aura core. Very little could take her down. Or at least she would put up a good fight.

"We booked the _ nice _ room!"

Jette packed up her tools and oil, she could not waste any more time. This was about as good as she was going to get. She was a sad excuse for a huntress. A great assassin, but huntress. Nope. Huntsmen didn’t kill people. They protect people. 

She stepped out and slid the bag under her bed. By her stood Carmyne in her leggings and red tank with a gray spade on the right breast. Their leader stressed the card theme too much. Burgundy, their team leader, was the ace of diamonds. Lazuli, his partner, was the jack of hearts. Carmyne was the queen of spades. While Jette was the king of clubs. She really just wondered if headmaster Lionheart had no idea what to call their team. But _ Blackjack _ was a color. 

“You ready?” Carmyne looked down at the shorter girl while she put her long dark hair into a sock bun. And flicking her fuzzy snow leopard ears, a sign of excitement. Jette nodded and the two left the room for the gym. 

*** 

The two partners faced off. Sweat dripped down each brow and chests heaved with exertion. The cool air from the many waterfalls that rose up the Mistral highlands to the training balconies did nothing for the two fighters. Jette twirled a practice staff before her as she fended off Carmyne’s whip. This game of cat of mouse really took it out of both of them. This spar was growing over three minutes long, and didn’t seem to be ending any time soon. It was just Jette clumsily acerbating around and Carmyne grappling the brawler with her whip. Endurance was key in this type of sparing. And both were running low on aura. 

“You need to stop favoring your left hand, Jette.” Carmyne instructed as she lashed out at her friend like a snake. 

Jette bounced away from the whip. She kept her center of gravity low as she moved around and away from her agile partner. Yes, she favored her left hand because her right arm glitched. She needed to get around the whip and fight off the snow leopard Faunus. 

“I’m trying!” Jette came at the Faunus with a jab that knocked the girl back. “Don’t let me get close.” 

“It’s hard without my semblance.” Carmyne protested and cracked her whip again. Jette rolled away and crouched low to the ground, her weapon behind her in a ready stance. The whip was fast and it took all her training just to dodge. Jette could anticipate the attack due to the arm motion to crack the whip. Jette just had to guess where Carmyne was aiming. Which was not always as easy.

“You can’t keep relying on it to save your ass. Yes, stun locking is important for team attacks and when there are large amounts of enemies. But what will you do if you run low on aura? That is when you fight.” 

“I would fare better than you!” Carmyne ducked under the lunging staff only to receive a kick in the knee to bring her down. The Faunus struck the leather at Jette’s ankle. “You don’t have a long range weapon.” 

The brawler’s eyes went wide in shock because one minute she was fine then the next she was airborne. Jette landed at the faunus’s feet and swung her staff to knock the mock pistol out of Carmyne’s hand before Carmyne could take the win. “No. But I’m proficient with many melee weapons,” Jette countered. 

Carmyne went in for a back hand only for Jette to push her hand out of the way. The brawler quickly flipped back to her feet and went for a more defensive stance. 

“Oh no you don’t,” Carmyne roared and struck her whip. It wrapped around Jette’s right arm and the Faunus yanked. There was a loud cracking sound followed by an ear piercing scream. Jette held her right shoulder as her metal arm lay on the worn earth, shattered beyond repair. 

“JETTE!” The Faunus ran to her friend who was in shock. She quickly wrapped her arms around Jette to comfort her. The smaller girl gripped the metal stub with her free hand and ripped away from Carmyne, almost as if the comforting touch hurt just as much. “Jette! I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” 

She sunk to the ground and began to gather her arm, ignoring her faunus partner. Her life line to normalcy was ripped from her, literally. It was just a mess of fabric, wires, and metal. Nothing salvageable. The brawler was now nothing and nothing but a replacement would return her any fighting shape. 

*** 

Conversations buzzed throughout the mess hall. Carmyne grew excited with the promotion of a Faunus to a senior officer position in the Atlassian Military. The date was set for December 24, deep into their holiday break. But the thought of this step toward equality lit up her world. Sasquatch Soxs would serve as a shining example of human and Faunus equality. 

Jette rested her head on the table in the mess hall. Carmyne watched her friend with a frown. She noticed Jette sank into a depression since the loss of her arm a few weeks back. Her combat marks had plummeted and she skipped Grimm Studies and Remnant History. The seamstress could not help but feel responsible for her partner’s hardship. The hardest part for Carmyne was that her team couldn’t do anything about their teammates missing arm. 

“Eat, Jette,” Lazuli placed a banana and a cup of black coffee before the brawler. 

The girl slowly sat up and took her cup of coffee. She took a sip of the bitter liquid, burning her tongue. Jette gasped and the cup landed on the ground. The loud shattering sound made Jette flinch and fall off the bench. She held out her right arm to catch her weight, but got nothing but air. She landed hard on her right side with an equally large crash. The metal still loosely attached to her shoulder dug into the soft flesh. Blood slowly stained her shirt around her armpit. 

Burgundy hauled the smaller girl to her feet. 

“Infirmary, now.” He looked to the other two team members and he half led half dragged the brawler to the doctor. “By dust, Jette. What were you thinking Leaving the metal still there?” 

“It’s not like I can pay for surgery or anything,” Jette groaned and felt faint. She watched Carmyne pass her and Burgundy to open doors, “I'm broken in so many ways, you may get uncomfortable.” 

“That is disgusting.” Lazuli asked as she took the rear, watching as Jette’s white uniform jacket turned completely red on the right side. 

It was no lie that Jette enjoyed pain. Her semblance was painful. Taking pain. Storing that energy. Using that stored energy to amplify unarmed attacks. It burned through her whole body to the location the energy was released. The power flooded her body with epinephrine and serotonin pounded in her mind as it waited for its chance, sparking ecstasy that left her empty when she was not charged. She craved pain like a drug. Enjoyed giving and receiving. 

But the others did not know of the traumatic past. And they never will. She did not want to give too much away about herself and she didn’t trust her deoxygenated brain to come up with a good enough excuse. The girl just grunted when she felt the prick of a headache in her forehead. That was when the ax blade came down on her forehead and she tensed slightly. 

Burgundy studied the girl out of the corner of his eye curiously. There were many things team BLJC didn’t know about each other, but Jette always deflected each question about family or what she did before school. And here she lay over his shoulder, bleeding out, with a migraine from the overwhelming stimuli around her. How this girl survived life astounded him. 

The four made it to the infirmary before they could press Jette with more questions. Burgundy rested Jette on a bed and pressed her uniform jacket against the puncture wound in her shoulder as the nurse got the story from Carmyne. The brawler closed her eyes and everything went black. 

*** 

Over a week passed and Jette had been transferred to Mistral General for surgery. Scars now graced her yellow, native skin across her upper body from removing all the metal fragments and replacing most of her bones in her shoulder with metal and screws. Now she would have to actively cover her scarred skin. because people could see them when she wore anything but her uniform. 

Jette rolled her shoulder and winced in pain, her body still adjusting to the new metal encased shoulder hiding most of the damage. This will be a long recovery. One more week here then months of training. And now she could only use her fist and small one handed weapons such as short swords and daggers. Another setback was the inability to use her semblance successfully. All that stored energy would kill her. 

“Fuck.” Jette groaned and held the metal plate covering her right shoulder. She felt defeated and worthless. The doctors removed her universal adaptor, the joint that would enable her to attach a new arm without surgery. Though she had a cheap one before that glitched more than it worked, it was still an adaptor. It was a link to a somewhat normal life. Now it was gone. 

“Language.” Lazuli chided as she and the rest of the team let themselves in. 

Jette rolled her eyes and scooted over so Carmyne could sit next to her. Burgundy took the chair by the bed with Lazuli sitting on the arm with a foot propped on the bed frame for balance. This was Jette’s team and she couldn’t ask for a more caring group. They took care of her even though they knew very little about who she really was. Though, the brawler knew that would change once they find out the truth behind her past. 

“Gods dammit! Dust! Fuck!” Jette swore some more just to annoy the blonde writer. The three visitors were relieved Jette was in a better mood. The smaller girl was always happy around her team. However, behind closed doors, Jette was slowly tearing herself apart. 

Carmyne smiled at her friend, studying her closely. The brawler noticed and looked at her hand. A smaller hand slipped into it and squeezed. She then felt hands on her knee and looked up. The three were all there for her in her most desperate time of need. The touch felt awkward, pulling her toward her reflex to fight back or run. But for once Jette did not flinch or move away. Progress in her team's eyes. 

“Thank you, guys.” Jette gave them a small smile. “You all are the best.” 

“How’s your head,” Burgundy asked and watched his teammate look back at her hand in Carmyne’s. Though she was not clasping the hand back, the uncomfortable question did not make her pull away. 

“Day three.” Jette assured her team about her chronic, serious migraines. A byproduct of her tormented youth that she kept cloaked from her team. “Hopefully I make a full recovery once I've headed out of here." 

“Take it easy, Jette.” Lazuli rubbed Jette’s knee with her thumb. “You’ll be back out there and ready to go in no time.” 

"Do you mind handing me my glass of water." The brawler could not reach across her partner. 

“Yeah. We need our King of Clubs!” Jette snorted at Burgundy’s reference, water expelling from her nose. “Team _ blackjack _ is not a complete hand without you.” 

"You need to use your brain to come up with some better jokes." 

"ENOUGH!" Lazuli snapped at her leader and the brawler. "No more card jokes. And no more migraine jokes." 

The group only laughed. 

Jette finally had a family. Dysfunctional, but hearts were in the right place. It was all she really ever wanted. Arms wrapped around her and though she struggled against Carmyne, she realized the cat was not letting go and she was too exhausted to fight back. Sleep eventually came. 

Burgundy sighed and made eye contact with his team. Lazuli wore a frown and Carmyne couldn’t hide her sadness. This was the end of his team if Jette remained in this state. She couldn’t use her usual weapon arrangement and the brawler was a lousy shot with a handgun. The injured girl would offer nothing to the team. No amount of training would enable her to stay at Haven. She couldn’t be a hunter in such a state. 

“I wish we could do something but even with all our money combined,” Carmyne wiped a tear, “we can’t afford a decent arm or proper surgery.” Haven paid for this surgery because Jette got injured at school. 

“I do too,” Burgundy sighed and rested his head in his hands, his frustration clearly visible. 

“We have to stay positive,” Lazuli sighed and gripped Burgundy’s shoulder for emotional support. 

The other two nodded and just waited with their friend until visiting hours were over. Jette was once again alone, left to her own internal demons. 

*** 

The dense metal felt cold in her hand as she struggled to focus on the target. The only reason she kept trying, and failing, was because she couldn’t show defeat. Pride, and money, were Jette's true weaknesses. 

“Your stance is terrible,” Lazuli commented. She was a mid to long range expert. “This is not a toy.” 

Lazuli was almost as small as Jette. Almost. In her blue corset, black skirt, blue under skirt, as well as blue leggings. She did look like she was sixteen. Compared to the usual well worn jeans, plaid, and tank top Jette usually wore as her hunting uniform. Everything about Lazuli screamed beautiful and young. While Jette what already starting to grey above the ears and refused the need for reading glasses. 

“I’m doing my best. The recoil is a bitch!” 

“You must work around it.” Lazuli adjusted Jette’s stance once again. “Your confidence is your weakness, Jette. Practice just an ounce of humility.” 

Jette took a deep breath, trying to relax her frustration. Each time she fired the pistol; she would have to readjust her aim. Without another hand to steady the gun, the recoil ruined the chances of a quick follow up shot. 

And her aim was subpar, at best. 

Lazuli sighed and picked up a pistol. She quickly aimed at the target with one hand supporting the gun, like how she taught Jette. She emptied the magazine in rapid succession, each bullet entering the target’s chest region. 

Jette walked over to the table to reload, both at awe with her friend and defeated by her lack of progress. “Why don’t you fight with a gun? You are fantastic!” 

“They lack character. With my pens, I leave a personal touch. You could say I leave a mark the enemy won’t forget.” 

Jette burst out in a booming laugh. "You are sounding more and more like a true member of team BLJC, Lazuli." Jette smirked. "Welcome to the Haven's, somewhat, finest. The best punting team around." She snickered but everything stopped when she blocked a weak blow coming for her weaker side. "What the fuck?" 

"How does your Semblance work, Jette." Lazuli's calm but mildly authoritative tone poked Jette the wrong way. 

"People regret laying a hand on me." Jette gritted back at Lazuli, seeing a challenge. 

"It's kinetic empowerment." Lazuli offhand correction mashed a button. "You absorb the energy motion. And use it to buff yourself later." 

"I know how it works." 

"Then why don't you use the recoil to fuel it?" 

Jette, without blinking, pushed Lazuli's arm off, leaving an opening. The younger girl was not expecting an attack but she felt it as a force crashed with her shoulder, sending a surge a searing hot pain coursing from the impact zone. The younger girl gasped for breath and held her arm to her side. Her recovery was quick as aura did its work to flood the injured area. The penman hated that part of Jette's semblance. No matter how controlled to blow, the transfer of energy was always too much. And this was barely a push with the heel of Jette's palm. The younger girl truely feared a full blast from the explosive brawler.

"I have been." Jette's blunt monotone showed no emotion. But that lack of emotion showed Lazuli everything. "How dense do the three of you think I am? Yeah studies are not my thing, but I unlocked my semblance when I was six and been training to fight almost as long." Jette was eerily calm for such a deep outburst. "_Kinetic energy_. It's the energy to do something. Measured by mass and velocity. If I focus hard enough, I can absorb potential energy. Energy that is stored that has the ability to become kinetic energy." Jette finally took a deep breath. "I'm trying so hard to be as good as you three. But I always feel like I'm falling short. And now, _fuck it_." She gestured to her shoulder. "I fucked you guys over." 

Lazuli blinked. It was a lot to take in. Jette expressed a real emotion. Or at least, her way of expressing a real emotion. And Lazuli did think Jette was smart, but lacked the motivation to do much with it. Which was a false conclusion. Lazuli began to wonder what else was missing. She had told the group a bit about her personal adventures and interests. Fact the other three were mostly open about themselves and their past. But the one in black stuck to the shadows. And Lazuli felt is correlated with the reason Jette unlocked her semblance at age six. 

"Well. How detailed do you know your semblance?" 

"Down to the joule." 

"Then let's find a gun that stays safely within the parameters that you can absorb but still be effective against aura." Lazuli jumped right in without opinion or consent. Jette was not taking her team down. At least not over her competence in a fight. 

"Okay." Jette slowly got on board. "This will be a lot of math, you know? And a lot of measuring." 

"We can find a book." 

Jette let out a loud groan and deflated in disappointment. "_But that's not fun_." 

"It's faster." 

"But **science**!" 

"No." Lazuli frowned. "We need to look up manuals and guides. They have whole books just for comparisons. Including the force and energy involved in using different ammo." Jette groaned again. "And we need Burgundy to make you something so you can reload one handed." 

Lazuli started walking off and rambling off in a well organized list of everything that needed to be done to get Jette a fire arm. The brawler had to jog to catch up to her teammate. 

"I fucking regret this." 

"Language." The admonishment brought out another long whine from Jette. "I'll let you work with the dust." 

Jette let out a victory cry. That was one thing she could do without much collateral damage. Much. 

"You can _science_ with Carmyne." Jette's excitement didn't fade. Carmyne knew a bit about energy dust and how to keep from killing oneself. And Jette was easily excitable. And that alone was a hazard, even with the proper PPE. Which was required to even enter the dust labs. 

"Thank you, Lazuli." Lazuli flashed Jette a wide grin in response. 

Things looked to be on the up and headed back to normal. 

*** 

Haven Academy was drafty and cold. The air of loneliness filled the dorms. Very few remained during break and Jette Black was one of them. The girl glanced over at her scroll as she huddled under the blankets she stole from her team and a nearby supply closet. It flashed with a video message alert. The girl smiled and flicked it on. It was not who she expected. 

On screen sat Pearl Graymark in a white pant suit with a scarf and sunglasses covering her unnaturally pale face and eyes for protection from the sun and other light. 

_ Jette. I know this is rude and I know you’ve cut yourself a great opportunity at Haven…. _

Jette turned the video off before she could hear anymore from her old friend, mentor, and partner. It hurt too much. She tried so hard to let go of her past and it just crept up on her. Her scroll buzzed once again. 

Burgundy sent pictures from home. 

There was another buzz. 

Carmyne commented on how cute his mom looked. 

Then another. 

Lazuli sent pictures of the sunset from her balcony. 

Jette sighed and rolled over. She covered her head with her pillow to drown out her exploding scroll. It had only been two days since the end of term and Jette was miserable. She never got lonely before. This was a new feeling. She rolled over and stared up at the top bunk owned by Carmyne. Then glanced at all of Lazuli’s books. Burgundy left a pile of old blueprints he scratched masterpieces on for fun. There was yarn and thread everywhere on Carmyne’s desk. Jette’s desk had wires and tools. The four had made this room their home and the girl in black loved it. 

Her scroll buzzed once again. It was a video call. Jette groaned and sat up straight and adjusted her bed. She didn’t want to look like she lived in a pigsty. The girl answered and came face to face with the girl who used to make her heart race. 

“Hello?” Her hesitation evident. This was the first time she even thought of Pearl in weeks. 

Pearl Graymark. Ex-Atlas Military Specialist. More like defector. Now the trainer of hitmen and hitwomen in an assassin organization called the Dicrats lead by an elusive and enshrouded leader who went by the alias Monty, even when the members could tell they had a new one. Every single one used the same alias. 

_ “Jette!” _ Pearl smiled one of her weak half smiles, but the brawler knew it was genuine and, most likely, all she was going to get. _ “How are you… wait. What’s wrong with your shoulder?” _

“Hey Pearl. Nice to see you too.” Jette shrugged and winced. Her body still protested on occasion. “I lost it in a training accident. But my team is helping me back on my feet. I still have _ Pain _." Jette was overly attached to her signature weapon. "How are you?” 

_ “I’m well. I’m teamed with Earthmaster.” _ An annoyed frown graced the pale girl’s lips. _ “He’s young but a decent marksman. I’ll train him up fast.” _

“He’s that bandit boy _ Laserpriestess _ captured from Vacuo over the summer, right?” 

Jette felt the unfamiliar sting of jealousy at being replaced so soon. But she knew that was how the system worked and Pearl was one of the best for her age. Jette wasn't too bad herself either. She had a more ruthless and uncaring side. While Pearl just cared about getting the job done. 

_ "Yes. He’s not as good as my old student, though. We are not as _ _compatible.” _ The twenty-one year old answered the eighteen year old with a husky whisper, looking Jette over with hunger and a smirk of want grew. It sent a shiver down Jette's spine all the way down, making her close her eyes and curl her toes at all the lingering muscle memories. Before Pearl, Jette had _ absolutely _ no attachments or relationships of any kind. But Pearl's eye disappeared as quickly as it appeared as she returned to her professional facade. _ “He’s mute. Which plays well for his stealth skills, but doesn’t make him a good team player.” _

“Your old partner is not as good anymore. She doesn’t have a steady hand and speed is still her weakness.” 

_ “No matter, it’s good to see you.” _

“You as well.” Jette smiled for the first time during their conversation. Jette was very fond of her mentor, though they butt heads and hurt each other physically and mentally, in many ways. For many reasons. It was the world Jette was used to, so that behavior and treatment was welcome. It took a number of years for Pearl to warm up to Jette. She stayed stoic and icy through much of Jette’s training and was ruthless on the battle field with Mercy, her prided weapon. It wasn’t until the last year before Haven that Jette’s explosive nature cracked her mentor's shell. After four years of being paired together off and on for missions and training. 

_ “You need a new arm, right?” _

Jette nodded and rolled her eyes. “Astute as ever.” 

_ “Shut it.” _ Pearl growled. _ “I happen to have a contract. I was told to offer it to you first. Monty trusts you to get it done.” _

“A… a job? A hit!?” Jette’s mind shut down. She was told to do unspeakable things while in the organization with Pearl and _ Laserpriestess _, a bat faunus who used echolocation and infrared sight to take down enemies. The scary thing was, the brawler had done everything without hesitation. There was something addicting about taking a life. 

Jette could remember her first, age fourteen. An older org member was brought in, his usefulness had run dry and he was a liability. Jette was ordered to take care of him. She was given a knife and a gun, told to do as she pleased. Jette was brutal. His screams still echoed in her head. 

Killing people was easy. Too easy. Always was. Therefore, this hit shouldn’t phase her. But it did. She was done. Jette thought she was done. 

_ “You need the money, Jette.” _ Pearl coaxed. She really cared about her friend and didn’t want her to go soft. _ “I know how much having two arms is important to you.” _

Something in Jette’s mind cracked. Money was always a weakness for her. Money got her arm and weapons. Pearl was much nicer if you pay her a few lien for training. Lien could easily get you a few more training sessions with the former soldier. Maybe more if you can keep up with the burning ice from the north. 

“Send me everything.” Pearl smirked at Jette’s response. There was the girl she knew. 

_ “Welcome back, Blacksmoke. It’s been a while. Don't be afraid to..." _ Pearl took Jette in for a few moments_. "Call." _

“You too, _Thundersnow_.” Jette squirmed slightly, unable to hold her emotional ground. 

Pearl hung up and Jette sighed and reached under her bed for her tablet. She expanded it and rested her hand on the screen for it to read her palm print. Then did a facial recognition. 

_ “Welcome back, Blacksmoke.” _ A friendly male robot voice greeted her. 

Jette’s tablet buzzed and she pulled up the files. Her mouth went dry and eyes went wide. Before her on the screen was a bear Faunus. The robot voice returned. 

_ “Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to take out this high end target. Vizeadmiral Sasquatch Soxs will be promoted to Admiral in one week right before the holiday. You are to go to Atlas and infiltrate his guard. Liquidate the target and all witnesses. You may use whatever means necessary.” _

Jette sighed and accepted the mission. At least she would be busy during the break. 

_ “As always, should you be caught or killed, the organization will disavow any knowledge of your actions.” _

Jette was not keen on putting her life on the line for Monty, the leader of her organization of assassins, again. But she needed the money. 

_ “Funds necessary have been transferred to account number 0001710,” _ the male robotic voice added. “_This message will delete itself in ten seconds.” _ The cool male voice stated and Jette mentally counted to ten. The screen went dark and then turned back on, converting back to a normal tablet. 

“Carmyne is going to kill me,” Jette hugged herself tightly and fought dark emotions. 

Her scroll went off and her heart sank. Carmyne requested a video chat. Jette let it ring. She did not want to talk to her partner now. Because Carmyne knew when something was wrong. And Jette knew she was giving off all the warnings of a mentally unstable person. Soon her scroll blew up with messages from her friend. For the first time in a long time, Jette allowed the tears to fall. 

*** 

Jette shouldered her pack and tightened the black plaid scarf around her neck. Her leather motorcycle jacket and jeans won’t cut it for long term Atlas stay. The blistering, bitter cold was unbearable. But three days won’t hurt. She could always steal if needed. 

The first thing the girl did was scour out the location where Vizeadmiral Soxs would be promoted. It was inside a large hotel on the highland. The floating level of land and wealth that above the young huntress’s head both angered her and astounded her. But, just like how she got to Atlas, getting anywhere was easy. The secret ingredient was not giving a damn about the law. Which, Jette did not give a rats ass to anyone but Burgundy and her team. So, Crime. She had a lot of it.

Once she figured out a way there, the only way to take him out there would be to disguise herself as a guest and get close. But they would search her for weapons. She had to look for other ways, and fast. The most ideal way would be to infiltrate as a guard, but they would heavily screen everyone and there was no way she could slip into his ranks. No, she would have to be cleverer. 

“This might be easier than I expected,” the girl smirked and looked at her scroll for confirmation. “I better get paid extra for this.” A very convenient and well made forged clearance access was sent to her cracked scroll. “But she could have picked a better picture.”

An unknown and blocked number sent her a short message. 

_ Thought this would be useful. _

“Yeah. But you have way better pictures of me.” Jette instantly blushed at what her own statement truthfully implied and was gracious the operative did not use any of _ those _.

The girl made her way to the luxurious hotel and pulled out enough cards to pay for the weekend. The brawler, stood on her tiptoes to look over the counter at the woman at the front desk. The woman was crunching data and information into a computer and paid little attention to grungy girl from Mistral. Jette rested her arm on the counter and picked herself up a bit to gain a few inches, but after a few long moments, she let herself back down due to a lack of response from the worker. 

“Excuse me!” Jette made herself sound assertive and important. “I wish to book a room on the tenth floor for two nights.” The huntress knew Soxs and his detail booked the whole ninth floor. It is easier to infiltrate from above than from below. If this worked out as planned, she would only have to worry about a handful of guards and Soxs himself. 

“No one is allowed to book a room if they are under the age of fifteen.” The receptionist did not even look up at her to respond, just kept typing something that couldn’t be more important than a paying customer. 

Something in Jette’s mind snapped and she glared daggers at the woman. It had been awhile since the eighteen-year-old was shown so much disrespect. Last time, the person regretted it. She opened up her mouth to respond but her scroll buzzed. As she glanced at it, loud commotion drew their attention to the door. 

The Admiral-to-be rushed in with his guards behind him. The four guards in full ceremonial uniform kept their leader behind them as their guns pointed toward the door. Jette’s huntress training kicked in and she ran over to investigate. She pulled out a student hunter ID badge and attached it to her jacket as she joined the four soldiers. Jette smirked at what she saw. Three people looked at taking her money, and she be damned if she lost her hit. 

A small knife slipped out of her coat sleeve, she threw it at one and it went into his neck, embedding deep into his aura and began to choke. Jette quickly spun around and nailed a hard kick at another guy, slamming him into the ground. She quickly subdued him with a swift kick to the head. Jette turned to the third and pulled out revolver. She took a deep breath and aimed. She quickly pulled the trigger and blew into the man’s aura, blood splattering in a large radius around the man, including on Jette. By the time her barrel was empty, the man had a huge hole in his chest and slouched limp against the wall behind him. The girl absorbed most of the recoil into her own body, ready to use it against another threat. 

She turned back to the first guy, taking out another knife. She missed his artery and he was beginning to recover, throwing her own knife back at her, which she sidestepped. The two engaged in heated hand to hand combat, Jette careful not to get caught by his dual tantos laced with his aura poison. Jette kicked the small blade out of his left hand and hooked her blade behind the spider’s neck. She yanked and drove the faunus’s head onto her knee, his head and aura were unable to compensate for the angle and strength behind the semblanced blow, his head landing on the floor with a sickening thunk. Leverage and physics were useful things to know in a fight. 

“Thank you, Lazuli.” The girl quickly put her weapons away, thinking fondly on her training sessions with her teammate. Jette turned to the guards. She raised her hand in a peaceful way. “I’m a huntress from Mistral. Jette Black.” 

“What the hell do they teach you all in Haven?” Soxs quickly rose to his feet and fixed his tie as he observed the smaller woman covered almost head to toe in blood. “You are better than all four of my guards. Three men in under a minute.” 

“They teach us to protect at all costs. If you give your life. Give it for something meaningful.” 

“Wise, brave.” Soxs nodded, “let’s see if you are honest. Why would you, kiddo, fight as a huntress? You certainly don’t look the material.” Jette glared and he quickly added, “Though your skills say otherwise.” 

“I’m not worthless.” Jette answered and it was the most honest statement she’s ever given. With only one arm, Jette was at a huge disadvantage. Though she can take down people like they are flies, she still felt weak compared to everyone else around her. Which was why she trained for years to be the strongest and the deadliest around. Though she was far from perfect, she could best many people she shouldn’t be able to best. 

“Well, I see I’m in good hands.” He turned to a guard. “Get her a room on floor nine. We need a huntress in my detail.” 

Jette was only half listening as she searched the threat. She pulled out scrolls and weapons. She frowned when she discovered a paper note. 

“Huntress?” The Vizeadmiral picked up on her distress. 

“They were after you, sir.” Jette sighed, knowing as Pearl alerted her about the incoming threat. Thankfully, with enough moments to react. 

But her picture was on the paper too. 

This was a trap. 

She pulled upon all her training to remain calm. Right then she was a huntress. Not a hitman. And it’s not exactly a switch you can flip. Someone either thought she would fail the mission and go soft. They were not wrong, but this complication won’t get in the way of her and a new arm. 

“I suggest you go up to your room, sir. I’ll follow.” Jette moved to the faunus she threw her knife at. The stench burned her eyes as venom wafted off the dead body. “Dammit.” 

This guy was part of the Dicrats. He was a spider Faunus by the codename _ Widowmaker _. An inside job. 

Something, she wondered if Pearl knew. 

Pearl wouldn't disobey Monty. Not when she was living as comfortably as the organization could offer. Jette hoped, for the spear woman's sake, Pearl would keep her nose out of this once the Spider Brother's went viral. With a quick glance, Jette noticed the scrolls still pointed at her. Which meant the news would be much sooner than she could prepare for. 

A guard member stayed by her side and she frowned at him. 

“I’m Korvettenkapitän Rust of the Seebataillon.” He saluted the girl and she just raised her eyebrows, sighing. 

“Calm your tits, _Mister_.” Jette interrupted him and wiped the blood off Pain and her hands on the enemy’s jacket. Before she continued her search, practically stripping him. She needed to be extra sure. And there it was. _ Widowmaker _had a large scar on his right thigh from Jette’s skilled knife work in one of her training sessions, which happened to be the last he agreed to. “So. What were you three up to?” 

She turned away from the spider faunus and looked to the man she knocked out. He was awake and she quickly stepped on his right wrist where he was reaching for his fallen crossbow. 

“Too fucking easy,” Jette leaned forward, bones crushing under her weight and strength. The man screamed out in pain and kicked his knee up at her. 

Jette fell off of him and quickly rolled to a low crouch, pulling out Pain from the sheath against her lower back. She flashed a toothy grin at her opponent. He pulled off his long overcoat, as it fell to the floor, his two arms broke apart to create four arms. Jette gritted her teeth. She could really use another hand. But one of his wrists was broken thanks to her well-placed heel. He withdrew four long katanas, one he placed in his teeth. 

“Well, fuck.” Jette stared up at the towering man with wide eyes. She lowered her center of gravity and raised Pain. “BRING IT!” 

The Faunus roared and rushed up to her. There was a loud bang from a shotgun. The giant sank to the floor and behind him stood Korvettenkapitän Rust with a pump action shotgun on his hip. Jette frowned. 

“I could have taken him.” 

Korvettenkapitän Rust rolled his eyes. Jette finally took the time to look at the man before her. His dark skin stood contrast from his white and gray uniform. He was clean cut with sharp blue eyes, like the ice in Atlas. The lieutenant colonel equivalent smirked at the girl half his age and just shook his head. 

“Welcome to the team, Miss Black.” The man approached and held out his hand. Jette hesitantly shook it. When he pulled away, he frowned at the blood that now stained his hand. “Now I need to know everything. Who were these people?” He pulled out his handkerchief and began to methodically wipe it away. 

“The Spider Brothers from the Dicrats, sir.” Jette held up identification as she watched Rust casually toss the soiled piece of cloth onto one of the dead bodies. She paused and raised her eyebrows. He directed his attention to her, expecting her to continue. The three were only known to her by their code names, like all from the organization. "Wanted all over Mistral for many, many heinous crimes.” 

Jette tapped _ Widowmaker _ with the toe of her boot. “This underground group makes life as a huntress a headache.” It was true. The Dicrats were mentioned once or twice in their studies, usually lumped in with other groups. But still the students learned about opposing forces, not just Grimm. Mistral was much different than the other countries. They each face different hardships. Mistral's was the crime and it was deep into the system, not just on the shadowy corners of the streets. 

“How can you tell?” 

Jette exposed the skin behind _ Widowmaker’s _ right ear lobe. She rubbed some concealer off and there tattooed was a D. Just one of their organization’s many identifiers. Jette’s skin heated up in fear. She could feel the brand behind her right ear, which she hid with a thick layer of makeup. 

“Your boss has a lot of money on his head, Korv-Korretkati…" 

"Korvettenkapitän." 

"Yeah, that." Jette crossed her arm over her chest over his correction then looked back at the spider faunus. The look of one arm crossed was odd to him. But felt natural to her. “Now I suggest we don’t wait for his aura to heal him before we take them in.” 

“Aura to heal him? He has buckshot in his back” 

“These fuckers have high aura, sir.” Jette sighed and looked at _ Gigantiaía Aráchni _ as his aura began to heal his wounds. “The big guy is just unconscious. Unless, do you mind?” 

She drove Pain into the Spider’s back, without waiting for a response. Blood spurted on her face and jacket, not that she needed more, and bones broke under her fingers as she released all the stored energy in her body. Now no one would identify her as an assassin. And a member of the Dicrats, no less. 

Jette's semblance both burned every nerve to the location of the expelled energy. And satiated a hunger inside her for pain. It was a drug and she needed her fix in any way she could get it. Her semblance, if used properly, would kill in one hit. She could break bones just by grabbing body parts and disable targets quietly with an energized knife strike. 

Korvettenkapitän Rust frowned at the kid, not that he had much of a problem with this scum, it would be nice to know more about the situation and not take the word of a Huntress-In-Training. 

“_Sir_, we must get going,” Jette looked up at the lieutenant colonel equivalent and he nodded. Jette wiped the blood off her blade and hand on the large spider’s staining shirt. “It’s not safe for your leader. People are after him and I need to check your security.” 

The military officer raised his eyebrows. The security was fine before hand. Having a huntress wouldn’t hurt, but the military had things well under control. Though he was grateful for her help with the spider brothers, he feared adding a third party onto the defense detail will jeopardize Vizeadmiral Soxs more. 

*** 

Jette perched herself in the window of Vizeadmiral Soxs’ suite. The large city and nightlife so different than what she was used to. She swung her legs a bit as she clutched a mug firmly in her hand. Damn tea. Sadly, this was the only hot beverage around and Jette hated every sip. 

“Mind if I join you?” Jette jumped in shock, not expecting to be snuck up on. And Jette was hard to walk up on. She frowned and turned to the Vizeadmiral along with Rust. This man was far too kind to be a hit. Jette knew he would bring a lot of good. But she must not get attached. 

“It’s not safe for you to be by a window, sir.” she set her mug on the table next to her, not knowing what a coaster was. Rust's wrinkled nose did not escape her as he crossed to room and sat in a chair. Jette elected to ignore his studious gaze. 

_ Kill him. _

“I think I’ll be fine, Miss Black.” A smirk graced the Faunus’s lips and Jette couldn’t help but smile as he placed a crystal coaster under her tea. “I’m a decorated war hero. Saved my whole team from Grimm. And I know you know what those underground are like. I can handle myself.” 

_I can take Rust. _

“You were attacked by three skilled assassins.” Jette tried to stay strong and dominant, ignoring Rust's gaze. She was his temporary security guard. 

_ Stab him. _

“And you took them down with ease.” The Vizeadmiral crossed his arms across his chest and grinned. He looked the small girl up and down, taking in all her strength and power in a few choice glances. 

_ KILL HIM NOW! _

“Sir, you hired me on because I know a thing or two about this. Just relax out of sight from the windows.” 

The Vizeadmiral stepped away and crossed the room to a table where he poured some brandy into a fine crystal glass. Jette frowned. That glass alone could pay for food to last her awhile. This was the only thing about the Vizeadmiral that irked her. He lived so lavishly. There are a few Faunus out there with wealth and power, and the Soxs family was one of them. 

She carefully turned her body so only one leg hung out the window, the other against her chest, hiding most of her actions. She could do it now. It would be easy. Jette slowly attached the suppression barrel to her revolver. It was awkward, but done. She looked up at the broken moon and took a deep breath. 

“Tell me about yourself, huntress.” Soxs turned to the girl, just thinking she was cleaning her gun. He was curious toward his new security agent. He knew little about her. She was so young, just a child to his eyes and his experience. How could someone so young become so skilled? 

“I grew up in a bad household and ran away when I was fourteen. I hung out with scum of the street doing petty crime just to get food in my mouth. Then I joined Haven because I wanted a better life for myself.” Jette was being partially honest, just her crimes were more severe. The Vizeadmiral deserved some transparency before his death. “I didn’t want to be a criminal. Mistral underground is large and strong. I knew the Spider Brothers because I’ve seen them once. They tried to sabotage me as I was breaking and entering to forge some business’s documents. They did a heist during that time that alerted the authorities. I barely got away.” 

“Did you ever hurt anyone?” 

“On occasion, but I’ve never killed. The Spider Brothers were the first people I’ve ever killed.” Jette lied big time to the man, that time catching Rust's icey orbs before returning to the faunus. “And they deserve it. They rape their victims, torture them, then finally kill them.” 

She observed the Vizeadmiral. He looked a little green. Jette sympathized with the man. Her father’s behavior was docile compared to most of the criminals in the Dicrats. Even Jette got nasty at times. Her dagger, when used with her semblance strength, could cut through aura. With two or three decent hits, the target was out of aura. Then she could quickly dispatch them. In her opinion, it’s worse than using a gun. Her hits were slow deaths, if she doesn’t use her semblance. It was impossible to stitch a triangle wound in your chest. Or she’ll slit a throat, let the person drown in their own blood. Then burn the place down. She was named _ Blacksmoke _ for her pyromania tendencies and explosive semblance. 

She had to do that to Soxs. He was not worth in full in his current rank. Black will wait for tomorrow night. Then strike hard and kill fast. She had to kill everyone who knew her real name, because _ Blacksmoke _ won’t be on the news. Jette, as herself, would grace every screen in Remnant. 

Her scroll buzzed and she noticed Carmyne trying to contact her again. Jette’s heart bled over what she was going to do to her friend. She was very fond of her partner and she thanked Carmyne for putting up with her antics. She was a good friend, and couldn’t be replaced. But this, if Carmyne found out, would ruin everything. 

“Vizeadmiral?” Jette slipped her gun back into the holster on her thigh and looked back out into the starless sky. 

“Yes, Miss Black?” The Vizeadmiral finished his glass and set it aside, focusing on the girl. He observed her silhouette in the darkness. Fog rose behind her in the cold air like smoke. The huntress was a shadow in the night. She was truly mysterious and dark. Just like her name and her past. 

“Thank you.” 

The Vizeadmiral blinked a few times and nodded before retiring to his room with Rust in toe. This girl truly was strange. 

*** 

Jette perched herself on a lights balcony overlooking the stage. The ceremony was in a large theater and she had a nice spot to observe all the snobby upper echelon on Remnant. She could easily jump down and intervene in any situation. Anything to protect her target. But she did not want to broadcast her presence more so than needed. Tonight, at least for the time being, she was a huntress. And huntresses protect. 

Jette scanned the stage. There was intense screening of each guest and most were military and family. Every single one was pretty much DNA tested at the entrance. Jette already went through the list, everyone came out clean. Jette readied her revolver and took out Pain. Though everyone here should be clean, she did not want to chance it. 

_ “Jette!” _ There was buzzing coming from her earpiece and she jumped. “_Come in Jette!” _

The static hurt Jette’s head and she cried out, quickly adjusting the volume. “How the hell do you always find me?!” 

_ “You are not hard to find. I didn’t have to search at all.” _ Pearl admired and sighed. _ “You are all over the news.” _

“Huh?” Jette turned on her scroll and it instantly blew up with messages from her team and even Pearl. All of them sent links to broadcasts and pictures. Turns out her stunt with The Spider Brothers got her the front page. “Fix this. NOW!” 

_ “I can’t. As soon as it went breaking the org did their best to block it and your identity. But you don’t have many friends and they’ll do everything in their power to stop you. We were able to block them identifying you as a Dicrat but your name is out there. Jette Black is out there!” _

Identities remained as anonymous as possible in case there was a leak. That was why in the org knew each other by code names. Pearl and Jette didn’t divulge their identities to each other until after Jette left for Haven. 

“Fix this the best you can. I don’t want to abort!” Jette began to panic as she read what her partner sent over scroll. This was bigger than she thought and her team had questions as to why she was in Atlas. But she could not answer for the sake of their safety. If she was caught, they’ll go right to Carmyne. And as long as her teammates were kept in the dark, the better they’ll be. 

“You know what to do, Pearl.” 

_ “You can abort and stay a hero,” _ Pearl sighed. Jette could hear her frustrated typing. _ “Make a better name for yourself. It’s a way out of this life.” _

“We made a deal, Pearl.” Jette growled, “I leave this fuck show when you leave. Do your best. BLJC _ can’t _find out.” 

Pearl cut the communication and Jette groaned in frustration. Jette knew she was a handful and a half. But she had to do this. She had to kill Soxs. She needed her arm. 

She sent four words to her friends before turning off her scroll. 

_ I love my team._

Jette's directed her attention to the stage and the guests. There stood General Ironwood talking about responsibility, skill, and honor. Jette rolled her eyes and scanned the crowd for more faces. There were high ranking Schnee Dust Company personnel, including their scarred heiress. Wasn't she like, ten? Her eyes jumped from table to table, counting. Not people, lien. At every table there were two or three people worth a nice sum of money. This was a jackpot. But the girl knew she couldn’t touch them. She had to protect them. 

Which sucked. 

Her eyes kept scanning and they landed on a certain male and a sneer rose on her face. A certain head of household who ruined her best friend’s childhood sat in boredom in gray and red. And a tall blonde sat next to the gray whiskered man, hair greased to the point it looked like plastic. Jette cocked her gun in anger. The Rowleys were here. She scanned the room some more, no Carmyne. The last thing the huntress needed was to run into her partner at a time like this. The girl took a deep breath and set the gun down with a sigh. Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t kill her best friend's father. It would kill both of them. She loved Carmyne too much to ruin her life. Not anymore than she had to, rather. 

*** 

Jette packed her bag, made sure her Magnum was loaded with regular shells and her special loading mechanism loaded with dust shells. Her current fighting get up looked ridiculous. She had hooks and wires all over her body and hidden in her jacket which it made it easier for her to switch out weapons and reload. Burgundy did his best with what was before him and two weeks before winter break. It functioned. It was discrete. All Jette asked for. 

She sighed and tightened her fingerless glove with her teeth. An infinity scarf covered her lower face and headphones over her ears. She turned on some famous Mistral City Orchestra and took a deep breath. 

Show time. 

The small girl crouched behind a corner and pulled out a small mirror to peer around the hall. Only two outside the Admiral’s door, that was no fun. She took a deep breath and fished for a distraction tool. Jette pulled out a small bag of ball bearings and rolled out a nice amount onto the floor by her side. The girl found her laser pointer and shone it on the floor before one of the guards. 

“Dude!” the cat faunus patted her friend’s chest with a grin and pointed down at her feet, excited. “Look!” The little red dot danced on the floor. Before her human partner could stop her, the faunus was following the dot. 

“Wisterea!” Her partner hissed. He rolled his eyes at the cat. 

Wisterea followed the dot and comically slipped on the bearings. Jette hopped on top of the faunus, pinning her down, and rested a finger over her lips. The soldier opened her mouth and Jette gripped the girl’s face, with a maniacal smile. Wisterea recognized the girl as the huntress and was about to protest but quickly received a hard blow to the temple, knocking her out. Jette pulled on a cord and Pain slipped into her palm. She held the weapon back to strike and kill the guard only to hear a gasp. Her partner caught on. Jette drove the point home and flipped forward, kicking the man in the face before he could act or raise alarm. 

“Brat!” The man held his bloody nose. Jette was instantly in his face with punches to his aura. He raised his hands to block, but even with just one hand, it was hard to catch the huntress. Jette, to overwhelm her prey, suddenly stopped, the music building for a crescendo. The girl flicked her wrist and Pain left her hand to return to its sheath on her lower back. 

“You’re that Black kid. What are you do-” The solder squeaked as Jette grabbed his crotch, the music reaching its crescendo. “Mother…” He wheezed. 

Jette kept quiet and squeezed harder. The solder gasped, face turning ghostly white. A knife slipped out of her sleeve and right into his groin, breaking through his weakened aura. Jette head butt him in his already broken nose to mess with his senses. She stepped back and watched the man sink to the floor. She quickly disposed of him too. 

The killer rose to her feet and stepped over the bloody mess. She quickly adjusted her scarf and made her way to Soxs’ room. A small smile graced her lips as she took out her lock pick kit. She got on her knees and slowly worked on the lock, trying to be quiet. 

“WHAT!?” Jette froze at the cry of a woman and instantly launched herself at three soldiers, preying on their emotional vulnerability. 

She jumped onto one's back, attempting to break a neck but fighting aura. The larger man pulled the smaller girl off of him and threw her across the hall. Jette collided with a wall and gasped in pain as all the air left her lungs. The girl quickly rose to her feet, the fight allowing no recovery time, and stared at a barrel of three guns pointing at her. She sighed and shoved her hand into her pocket. She could really use Carmyne right now. If her team was accustomed to this type of behavior, team BLJC will be one of the best assassin teams out on the market. But sadly, that wasn’t realistic. Jette was alone and will forever be alone. 

This was it. 

Or so she believed. 

Three little red dots appeared on three chests. The girl smirked and the glass behind her shattered. Three guards down in one second, two by bullets and one with an arrow. Jette turned and saluted her old friends before a smoke grenade rounded the corner, encasing the small girl in smoke. Jette used that cover to work on the lock. She was soon in the room as her team held everyone off. 

Jette grinned and tugged on a wire, Pain entering her hand. She took a deep breath as she made her way around the suite. She kept low and to the shadows, not wanting to risk discovery. Though staying hidden wasn’t her forte, the dark clothing certainly helped. 

The girl slinked into the admiral’s room, katar in hand. She smiled. The man snored like the bear he was, she had to hold in a laugh. She suddenly hesitated. Snuggled into his side was a thin bunny Faunus. His wife. The huntress frowned; the girl was pretty with cute ears. Young. Probably a gold digger, but nonetheless enjoying her husband’s company. The girl shook her head. Damn Faunus. She didn’t want to kill this girl. 

Jette swung Pain and swiftly slit the Admiral’s throat and stabbed his wife in the chest. Sock’s woke with a start and choked, unable to breathe. Blood streamed freely from his neck, staining everything around him. He recognized her and opened his mouth to speak only to choke on more blood. 

“I’m sorry,” she elbowed the man, knocking him out to ease his death. Jette quickly set out a few burn dust crystals. She pulled another cord and her revolver fell into her hand. The girl quickly went to the window. She aimed and fired, lighting the bed in an explosion of fire. She shielded her eyes and began her slow climb to the ground. 

About twenty feet from the ground, she slipped and fell hard on her side. She heard a crack as a few ribs broke and she groaned. The killer slowly rose to her feet, assessing the damage. 

“Dust!” The girl swore. At least three and a terrible bruise that she would have to explain to her team. Then they will ask questions. But everyone who knew she killed Soxs was dead. 

*** 

She quickly made her trek to the air base where she had a ticket for the midnight ride home to Haven. She would be there in two days and to safety. And her friends would just know her as a hero or something, something she wasn’t. 

Jette made it to a large snow bank, she must climb to make it to her ride. She suddenly felt a burning sensation across her back, followed by searing pain. The girl cried out and quickly turned to her attacker. She did not expect this. Not one bit. 

"Korvet-Korvetkap-" 

“Korvettenkapitän." 

"Yeah… that." 

“Nice to see you again, Miss Black,” the military officer rested his bloody saber on his shoulder, his shotgun against his back. “I had a feeling I would catch you.” 

Jette reached for her gun only for Rust to shoot it out of her hand. The girl gasped as the shot fought through her aura. She glared and crouched low to the ground. 

“I was hoping something happened to the beast.” Jette froze, dumbfounded by the man’s comment. Too stunned to respond. “Now I don’t have to take orders from an animal anymore, and I thank you.” Jette glared. “I was quite pleased to have _Blacksmoke_ in our detail. But, now I’m going to kill you and be the hero."

Jette clenched her fist in anger. How could someone so fowl live on this earth and protect the people of Atlas? Prejudice came in many shapes and sizes and it made the girl physically sick to her stomach. Her best friend was a Faunus. Jette respected Faunus. This was a job, not a racial crime. Or at least she didn’t kill him because he was a Faunus. Only for the money. 

Jette growled and spat into the snow. “There is a special place in hell for people like you.” 

“Like you would go to heaven, Miss Black,” Rust smirked. “I know who you are. And soon all of Remnant will know.” 

Jette had enough of the talking and launched herself at the lieutenant colonel only to get knocked to the ground by the butt of his gun. Jette sprung back to her feet and took out Pain, ready to fight. She rose to her full height, which was barely over five feet. Rust pointed his shotgun at the girl, ready to pull the trigger, but Jette was faster, stronger, and stupid. She grabbed the barrel and yanked, using her strength to aid her. The man couldn’t hold on, but still pulled the trigger. Jette did her best to absorb the energy. The buck shot ate her aura and she felt the burn as hot blood stained her shirt. 

Rust withdrew his sword but Jette slashed her katar, her semblance strength shattering the sword. The girl began to see double and felt sharp pain to her face, a hard punch knocking her down once again. He kicked and kicked, the girl’s aura falling into the red. With a last ditch effort, Jette grabbed his leg and twisted it, breaking his leg at the knee. Rust screamed and fell. But now he used his fists. Anything to bring the girl down and ready for the kill. 

Jette won’t have any part of that. She once again called on her semblance and spun on her lower back, kicking her feet up. She knocked the man back enough away to thrust Pain, punching through his aura with a strong semblance hit. With a last scream, his life left him. 

Jette gasped in pain, face bruised and bloody and her back wound staining the snow. Her black shirt ruined by the flesh wound; the buck shot was mostly absorbed by her aura. While her broken ribs did not help. 

She slowly rose to her feet, staring at the dead monster in the snow before her. She kicked him hard, furious and hurting from his words and actions. Monsters like him did not deserve to walk on this world. 

“Fuck you.” She gave the dead body one last hard kick before escaping to the transport ship. 

She did not expect three familiar faces. All twisted to concern at the state Jette was in. But, Jette didn't care. Everything will heal eventually. Either scar or full, didn't matter. She'd be fine. She was just happy to see the single person who took care of her through her dark past. 

_ Laserpriestess _ disappeared onto the ship to begin the checklist while _ Earthmaster _ and Pearl gently helped the injured woman inside. 

"For fuck sake, _ Blacksmoke._" Pearl threw her shades across the fuselage and looked her former student over. Both her and Jette grimaced as the code name felt sour after sharing their true identities with each other. But the other two in their company did not, and could not, know. 

"You know me." Jette smirked as she watched _ Earthmaster _ hunt for a first aid kit as the ship began to take off. "Always coming back a mess." 

"I did not miss saving your ass and bringing you back from near death." Pearl frowned and took the kit from _ Earthmaster_, nodding towards the closed off cockpit. He got the message to give Jette a little bit of privacy as Pearl cleaned her up. Let Jette keep any sliver of dignity she had left. "A few times I was almost too mad to help." Pearl began to cut away Jette's shirt. Then her bindings. 

Pearl stopped at the sight of the metal plate covering Jette's right shoulder, pectoral, and side. And the harsh scarring on the flesh it was screwed to. She gently touched it, feeling a few dents from the buck shot. Her straight face conveyed nothing as her red eyes bore into the ruined skin. 

"What's my prognosis?" Jette nervously broke her ex-partner's worried trance. 

Pearl went straight back to business without another word. Jette was growing pale and it was up to Pearl to stabilize her until her aura restored. Which may be awhile since Jette's bank was unreasonably massive. 

After too long and nearly running out of supplies, Pearl sat back from where she hovered over a nearly broken Jette as she leaned back against a bench. 

"Not death." Was always Pearl's answer in various degrees of exhaustion depending on the degree of Jette's injuries. This time was one of Jette's worst cases, leaving Pearl needing a stiff one and a bed. 

Pearl took a deep breath and threw the bloody gloves across the cabin. She slouched next to Jette. 

"Don't do that again." Pearl ordered. Jette jumped at the tone and just nodded. "Because I want to be the one who has to kill you." 

Jette was not fazed by Pearl's admission. It was actually a very nice thing to say. If nice was a word to use. Swearing to be the one to kill someone, especially if they were mentor-student, family, or partners meant they could not go on unless they were ready to let the other go. 

"Good to know." Jette grunted. "The feeling is mutual." Jette felt Pearl shift beside her. "But you know I fight Grimm and shit now. So, if you were going to kill me." Jette looked to the woman. "Do it now." 

"I don't think they connected you to Sox yet." Pearl smirked and gave the brawler a wink. "I want the whole reward." 

Jette's wanted status will finally cross Mistral borders. While Pearl is wanted in Vacuo, Atlas, and Mistral, which made her somewhat of a hero to Jette. Vacuo because she did an Atlassian War crime there, which then made her wanted by Atlas for defecting. Then in Mistral, for so many obvious reasons. But Pearl Graymark was not _ Thundersnow _. So, Jette would have to pick which one to kill. 

"I'd kill Pearl." Jette looked unphased by the wink. "Because _ Thundersnow _ is owned by the organization." Pearl rose her eyebrows. Collecting her Atlassian Military reward as Jette Black, the one who saved Sox from the Spider Brothers, would make the front page. "While Pearl is way more of a challenge." 

"Is that so?" 

"In many ways." 

Pearl and Jette held eye contact for a few long moments. 

"Brat." 

"You know I can't flirt!" Jette whined, color returning as she felt her aura spark. 

"_That _ was flirting?" Pearl laughed. It was hollow and empty, but so was Pearl. "I've heard way better. Even from you." 

"Look. I'm not asking you to fuck me or anything." Jette growled in defense. "You are terrifying, Pearl. Only the stupid can look you in the eyes. And the dumb challenge you. You carry yourself with poise no one can touch in the org. Comes from your military background, which opens up a whole new door to skills and accomplishments." 

"Tell me more." Pearl smirked and rested her head back against the seat "Because _ that _ was much better." 

"Don't flatter yourself, Pearl." Jette scorned. "Those are the only nice words you get that are not said in fear." 

"What? A woman does not deserve praise as they pin you down?" Jette blushed and looked away. Pearl's smirk remained. 

"Shut the fuck up." Jette snapped through gritted teeth. She knew the cards Pearl was playing. Pissing Jette off made it all the more fun. 

Pearl hummed in thought. "I rather not." 

Jette took a deep breath through her nose and clenched her fist. "Not this time." That received a cocked eyebrow as Jette quickly relaxed. "I don't want that with you." Pearl glared but listened. "I'm out now. And I don't want a reason to return." 

"I'm not asking you to return." Pearl rolled her eyes. "Or _ ordering _ you to return. I'm not here for Monty, either." 

"Then why are you here?" 

"This was a two person contract." Pearl leaned her head back with a smirk. "I was your partner the whole time." Pearl showed one of her few half smiles. As empty as they look to the world, Jette knew it was as close to a full grin the ice would show. "And, as always, you needed someone to save your skin." 

But now Jette understood why and how Pearl was so easily nosey the previous days. She was tied directly to Jette and any communication wouldn't look suspicious by Monty or anyone reading the final report. 

The two sat in a long silence. It felt reminiscent of good times. Not better times. But as-good-as-they-were-going-to-get times. A small hint of peace amongst the constant contained chaos that was the criminal organization where they lived quite a few years together. 

"Thank you." 

"That's a new one." Pearl poked the beast. "Hunting has given you manners." 

"Bitch." 

"There we go." Pearl hummed. "You are welcome." 

Silence returned, but this time with sleep. 

*** 

Two weeks passed and Jette worked hard to heal her body. She got a fresh arm and was just stuck with testing and modifying it. Though her body protested, because not all her injuries healed, she trained a few hours every day regardless. Anything to grow acquainted with her new appendage. 

Her whole upper body was wrapped tight in bandages. And her face held a crooked nose, a black eye, and a nasty split lip, along with a few other bruises. Jette was used to pain. She sometimes even enjoyed it, in a dark and twisted way. She had to focus her aura more on accepting the new appendage, which they say without the universal adaptor can take up to two weeks for aura users. 

More days passed and all but the large wound on her back and the bruising on her chest healed thanks to pumping her aura into them after noticing her arm was reacting well to her aura. Her nose was still crooked, though. But the day came for her team's return. Part of her was happy and excited. The other half was terrified beyond belief. She looked like a mess and had a new arm, though it was badass. Jette had a lot of explaining to do. 

The girl heard laughter outside the hall and she couldn’t help but smile. Her friends returned. Then a spike of regret stabbed her heart. She killed someone. And it was not some deserter or captured enemy. A decent person. 

She took a deep breath as the knob turned and there stood a very happy Lazuli and a slightly tired Burgundy, already with his travel mug of fancy tea. They paused at the door at the sight of Jette. Their smiles grew. 

“Jette!” Burgundy approached Jette’s bottom bunk with a grin. “Good to see you.” He studied her. He noticed everything, but said nothing. Lazuli went over and sat on the floor by the assassin’s feet. 

“So…” Jette rubbed her hands together in nervousness. “How was your break?” 

“You would know if you checked your scroll.” Lazuli looked up at the woman two years her senior, dramatically waving her scroll before her. “We were worried.” 

“And what the hell is this!?” Burgundy poked her new metal arm. Jette froze up and looked at her arm tucked through her leather jacket. She rose it and flexed the fingers. 

“The winnings.” Jette smirked. That wasn’t a lie. And her card pun brought a chuckle from the leader. 

“You showed off your skills with one arm.” Lazuli casually continued the conversation. “My break was exciting too. I read up on some history and went to some museums.” 

“And I bussed tables.” Burgundy leaned back on his hands, relaxing. “We had a busy holiday at The Swampwater.” 

“That’s your family’s restaurant, right?” Burgundy nodded at Lazuli’s question. 

“And you went to Atlas, obviously looking for some work,” Burgundy elbowed Jette in the side, not knowing about her ribs, causing her to stiffen a bit. But Jette was sensitive to touch in a general sense, so it passed off as normal. “And got a job protecting one of the most influential Faunus, outside the White Fang and Menagerie, in all of Remnant.” 

Jette just nodded, taking Burgundy’s explanation as truth, though it was far from it. “I was just at the right place at the right time.” 

The door suddenly swung open, slamming into the desk behind it with a loud crash. There stood Carmyne Rowley in all her glory. She scanned the room, searching for her partner. Her eyes bore into the brawler and Jette shied away under the gaze. 

“You.” Carmyne rushed the girl and hauled the brawler to her feet, which was a good five inches shorter than herself. “What the hell?! Why! Why?” 

“Car—” Jette froze and touched her stinging cheek. Her partner hit her. And hard. 

“I’M NOT DONE YELLING AT YOU!” Carmyne cut her friend off. Tears pricked the seamstress’s eyes. “I was so scared. Don’t do this to me. Never scare me again.” 

Two strong hands gripped Carmyne’s upper arms and her mind went blank. This couldn’t be real. The Faunus felt Jette press close to her, holding her in a tight embrace. The Faunus broke down, Jette had never initiated a hug. Rarely initiated anything besides handshakes and Armwrestling contests. This large step meant so much to the cat, as well as the rest of the team. Somehow, everything would be okay. 

“I’m sorry.” Jette mumbled into her friend's shoulder, being noticeably shorter than her partner. “I had to do this. I needed an arm.” 

Carmyne gently touched the metal, not believing it to be real. She pressed her palm against Jette's. She felt the grooves in the metal casing. Hard and strong. Tough and cold. This was why Jette was in Atlas. She just was at the right place at the right time to protect her people's hero. But as soon as Jette left his detail, an assassin struck. _ Blacksmoke _ returned from the shadows. 

“A new arm and a crooked nose.” Burgundy looked up at the brawler. 

Jette felt an ache in the center of her chest and her back. The bandages covered all. She quickly shook her head. They couldn’t know about Rust’s fight. Her team would ask too many questions. The team leader examined the girl but said nothing more on the matter. 

“Any kings up your sleeve?” He continued on with the conversation. Lazuli groaned at his pun. 

Jette smirked and stepped away from Carmyne, who still had tears in her eyes. The girl shrugged off her leather jacket, exposing the full arm. The metal casing had grooves all up it. She hinted toward secrets that perked everyone’s interest. 

“How about I deal the deck.” She flexed the metal fingers into a fist. 

*** 

The boy in brown looked at the girl in black. They studied each other. Jette with an arrogant smirk and Burgundy with a calm facade. Off to the side sat their teammates, both curious about this fight. It’d been awhile since the two fought, even in class. Jette and Burgundy trained hard and their teammates had no idea how Jette would fight. 

Jette tightened her leather glove on her left hand, ready to fight. She was ready to test out her arm and improved strength. Her semblance was much stronger now. Carmyne studied her teammates before she raised a whistle to her lips and blew. 

Burgundy quickly used his hard light projector to form a wall between Jette and himself. Jette frowned, impatient. She knew her arm stood no chance against the light blue wall. Fact, nothing stood a chance against it. Jette just relaxed and waited. 

“You are no fun today.” Jette complained, pouting. “Please get on with it.” 

“I just don’t want you to hit me.” 

Jette rushed forward and rested her hands on the humming wall, starting to feel sensation in her hand. The girl installed pressure sensors in her hand, as well as some other tricks. Jette modified her outfit to suit this new arm. She now ripped off the sleeves of her black plaid shirt for better mobility. On her neck was a club tattoo in black with a knife through the center, her symbol that marked her part of the BLJC family. It topped off her intimidating demeanor. 

“Your pretty face will be fine, Burgundy.” Jette winked as she taunted her leader. “Though I can fix it a bit for you if you want.” The leader only frowned. 

The wall quickly dissolved in a soft whooshing buzz as it timed out and Jette quickly jumped through the opening as fast as she could. Jette, faster and stronger than she was the previous semester, was right up on Burgundy. His eyes went wide and quickly raised his hammer to block a palm thrust and jumped back a bit to dodge a kick from a heavy metal boot. He went in for a swing and Jette caught the metal head and absorbed the energy from the moving object into her metal hand. The bands in her arm softly glowed red and yellow, like fire. 

Burgundy studied the fighter before him. She yanked the hammer from his hands and tossed it aside like a toy. Jette was back in his face and Burgundy was forced to dodge Jette’s increasingly fast blows. Jette smirked a hooked a foot behind his ankle and Burgundy saw the beautiful blue sky before he felt the air escape his lungs as Jette slammed her metal elbow into his chest, knocking him into the ground. 

Burgundy coughed and struggled to his feet, needing air in his lungs. Jette picked him up with her metal arm only to slam him back into the ground. Air left his lungs once again and the girl smirked as her forearm transformed, exposing a double barrel shotgun pointed straight at his chest. His eyes widened and scurried away before she could shoot him. 

“What the hell!” Burgundy pointed at the older girl’s arm. She cocked the gun with a thrust and smirked. 

“I installed a few toys in this arm. It’s reinforced with the strongest alloy I can afford. It can absorb my semblance energy so my body doesn’t have to. I can fuck shit up. And a shotgun so I have a firearm. I can shoot shit up, too.” 

“That’s fucking insane!” Burgundy went for his hammer only to get grazed by buckshot. He quickly began typing on this gauntlet to warm up another construct. Sadly, Jette didn’t let him finish the command. With speed, the brawler held his right wrist in her metal grip, squeezing with enough force to break the bones without semblance. The boy cried out and fell to his knees, holding his arm to his chest. He felt aura build up in his arm and start repairing the fracture but the pain dealt was unbearable. 

Jette was there to gently realign the bone, simultaneously ending the fight. She didn't know her new strength could plow through aura without her semblance. She knew her grip would hurt but had no idea aura couldn’t keep up with the acute pressure. 

“I’m sorry, boss.” She helped him up and just shrugged. It wouldn’t take more than about three days to heal good as new thanks to aura. But three days could be a long time in the hunting world. Burgundy was lucky it was just a wrist. Not a leg. 

“I’ll take him to the infirmary,” Lazuli was at the larger boy’s side and he relaxed a bit, allowing someone else to take care of him. 

Jette nodded and began her walk to the locker room, not knowing she had a shadow. She slowly pulled out a towel from her locker and proceeded to wipe her face. She closed the door and found a tall Faunus leaning against the other side. 

“What happened?” Carmyne touched Jette’s arm, who instantly recoiled away, still sensitive to most gentle and affectionate touch after so many years of abuse and mistrust. At least when it was not initiated. “Be. Honest.” The Cat's tone made the brawler flinch. Killing still came easy. But the look in Carmyne's eyes was new and unsettling. It made Jette uncomfortable and look away. "How did you get into Atlas?" Carmyne took it upon herself to begin. 

"You don't need money to travel around Remnant." Jette answered then shied away under a hard look. "Legally." 

"Fine." Carmyne sighed. It wasn't just what Jette did, it sounded like something she would do. "But why Atlas? You hate cold." 

"Look, you all should know I've been to a lot of places around Remnant." Jette defended. "Most of them illegally." 

"You're horrible." Carmyne sighed in frustration. "How do you just up and leave for another Kingdom for a weekend like it's nothing?" 

"Because it _ is _ nothing." Jette did have a quite skewed sense of consequence. Or lack of consequence. It was as if Jette was learning from nothing before Carmyne's very eyes. "I wore a jacket!" Jette defended. "Proud?" 

"Very." Jette was not so convinced by Carmyne's dry tone, but took it anyway. "And this was just a by chance thing?" There was no other way for Jette's team to wrap their heads around this without knowing the truth. Which, was off the table for discussion. Forever. 

“I just got lucky with timing. The money for protecting the Admiral was in my bank account before he died. I have no idea what happened. It was pretty much the night after I left for home.” Jette rehearsed this white lie well as her monotone remained steady through all her training. The perfect liar. 

“The reward was money.” 

“Security pays well if you know where to look, Carmyne.” 

“What’s wrong with you?” Carmyne snapped, pain etched on her fair, angular face. “The man you protected is now dead! An innocent Faunus!” 

“I didn’t ask for the job. I’m not certified bodyguard and my student badge barely covered the hunting contract. Fighting her would be a S ranked mission given to a D ranked kid, C at best. I stayed until my services were no longer needed. I took it seriously while I was hired. It was pretty cool taking out those fuckers. Yes, I was shocked by his death, but I knew there was little I could do. I’m trying to move on from this.” Jette sunk to the bench in front of her locker. She rested her head in her hands, feeling the prick of pain in her head. “I’m sorry.” 

Carmyne took a deep breath and sighed, gently rubbing her partner’s back, who stiffened, but didn't pull away. She could feel the pain and conflict in the air. Jette was going to have to live with this for the rest of her life. Carmyne could not lose another to _ Blacksmoke _. 

"They would have killed me, Carmyne." 

“They would have killed you,” the snow leopard Faunus sighed in agreement. 

“I just wonder if I could have done more.” 

“Would you have died for Sox?" 

"I dunno." Jette shook her head. "But I would have fought until the threat was eliminated, as I was hired to do. Thinking about dying or death would have hampered my job performance." 

"I guess so." 

"But still. I doubt I could have taken _ blacksmoke _." Jette admitted. "And I survived those three shits." 

"When did you learn to fight like that?" Carmyne inquired with knitted eyebrows. What footage of the fight she saw was barbaric even for the Jette the team knew. That and Carmyne didn't take Jette for someone capable of killing someone. Let alone three people in a crude and dirty fight. 

"My father wasn't the most pleasant of men. But he did teach me how to take care of myself." That wasn't a total lie. Her father was a prick. The one who cut off her arm. But her team did not know that, and won't. Hopefully ever. And probably the first thing she said about her family to anyone in her team. "And I think they were not expecting someone nonmilitary to intervene. They were not geared to fight a huntress. Literally." 

Carmyne helped the girl to her feet. “C’mon, let’s go check on our leader. You really beat him up. He’s not the strongest of us anymore.” 

Jette nodded and wiped her face with a towel before tossing it into a laundry bin, making it with ease. She quickly put up Pain and all her ammunition into her locker. She gave her partner and small smile and the two headed out to the infirmary.

**Author's Note:**

> Sasquach Socks is a bright, hot pink. His name was a stand in as a joke, but I ran with it since I'm that type of person. As Jette's personal creator. 
> 
> These Characters, like the table top they were made for, were designed back in V4. We knew next to nothing outside what the main four have seen in Vale and slowly seeing more and more of the rest of the world, but not exactly enough to base a whole campaign setting on. We didn't even know what Mistral looked like when we began. Which was fun, we kinda slowly adapted what we saw in RWBY V4 based on architecture and such as we played. But it still felt like our own place. As a DM, it makes sense. But know as I was editing this to share with you all, I went around to see where I can feasibly update to a more canonesc outlook without taking away from what we imagined during gameplay. Such as the match between Jette and Carmyne, what Atlas looked like (from the trailer), and names.


End file.
